The Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC) has expressed its concern over the alleged attacks on church-run educational institutions in the state. The apex body of Catholic priests has urged the government to take immediate steps to provide adequate protection to these institutions. The KCBC has raised concern following tensions at a church-run engineering college in Kottayam district after the suicide of a female student.
In a statement, the KCBC shared the grief of the family members of the deceased student and expressed concern and pain over the planned tension prevailing on the college campus following the incident. KCBC President Cardinal Baselios Cleemis stated that the church would fully cooperate with a fair investigation and proceedings into the incident and appealed to the government to ensure a peaceful atmosphere for the students by providing necessary protection to the college.
A section of students had staged a protest against the management of the church-run college in Kanjirappally following Shraddha Satheesh’s alleged suicide. The students accused the management of trying to suppress the issue by temporarily closing down the institution. The college management, however, denied knowing why the student committed the act.
The case has garnered attention from various student outfits, including the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), KSU, and ABVP, who held separate protests in front of the private engineering college in Kanjirappally. According to the students, the police used unnecessary force against them at the behest of management. They also alleged that some of the teachers used to mentally harass Shraddha.
The KCBC has called for immediate action to protect church-run educational institutions in the state, citing increasing concerns over tensions. The statement has called upon all parties concerned to work together to bring justice to Shraddha’s family and maintain peace on the campus.
